The Latino Student Union hosted a gripping event Wednesday Sept. 22. The event allowed the paerticipants to learn quite a bit about the organizations members and where they come from. 

We’ve all participated in an activity where we shared an item, story or treat. It’s something almost everyone experiences growing up. To start the meeting, everyone was able to share something positive and then something negative that was happening to them during the week. This group is very good at making everyone feel welcomed.

The overall sense of community was amazing in the way that these students and staff aren’t just a group of random people who meet once a week. They are a community that help and motivate each other; they are also a support system. 

The Cultural Show and Tell it was a captivating sequence of people sharing their family stories and items. Some people brought in family heirlooms, others brought souvenirs from trips and one student performed an enchanting dance. 

There were several handmade pieces of clothing and hand embroidered tortilla towels (tortilleros). Each item had a personal connection to someone’s great-grandmother and grandmother, or to the trip they took to see family. One person brought in work gloves that he never got to use for an internship but that are a constant reminder of his family’s work ethic. 

There was a sugar skull brought in as well as a purse with a sugar skull emblem embroidered on it. The people voiced how important these items were to remind them of Dia de Los Muertos or Day of The Dead, a day to remember those who have left them and to share stories to keep their memories going on.

To end the meeting there was a beautiful and emotional dance performance given. The dancer choose to dance to the song “Roi” by Bilai Hassani, a French and English song. They explained that the song helps them express themselves in a way that they otherwise couldn’t. the performance, paired with this song, was an impactful and graceful expression of who they are.

Meeting this group of students, this group of amazing and diverse people, was meaningful and fun. The overall experience was a wonderful learning opportunity for the participants.